STRATFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXV, Issue 59, 11 March 1913, Page 3

STRATFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL.

MONTHLY MEETING. The Stratford Borough Council mot last evening. Present: His Worship the Mayor (Mr W. P. Kirkwood), and Councillors 11. Dingle, J. H. 1 Pompson, J. McAllister, J. D. Healy, R. McK. Morison, and N. J. King. Apologies fdr non-attendance were tendered for Crs. Lawson and Boon.

CORRESPONDENCE. The Secretary of tho Stratford Volunteer Fire Brigade applied for tlie usual £5 grant from the Council towards tho delegates’ expenses at the Eire Brigade Demonstration at Wanganui.—Granted. A resident on tho York Road, Midhirst, applied to the Council to have an entrance formed to his section in Juliet Street. —Foreman instructed to carry out work under usual conditions. A resident in Miranda Street forwarded a request for water to be laid on to his property.—Referred to Borough Overseer.

Permission was granted to the Stratford A. and P. Association to have tho services of the Council’s road roller to level a cycling track, tho Association to pay ail expenses incurred, and the roller to be used at the Council’s convenience. SANITARY. I The District Health Officer wrote as follows in regard to the Empire Livery and Bait Stables, through Inspector Gray. The proprietor has lifted tho sunk wooden floors and wooden channels all along one side and has cleaned out the polluted earth underneath. During the cleaning process, tho smell was so bad that the men doing the work had to be supplied with whisky. The other side of this part of tho stables will be repaired so that the wooden channel will drain into gully-trap of drain connected to sewer. Tho part of the floor that was lifted is being re-laid

with boards six inches from the ground, and drained by means of wooden channel to gully-trap of drain connected to borough sewer. This stable-keeper is spending over £IOO on wooden floors and wooden channels which will never he anything else hut a nuisance.

“It is a pity,” comments the Health Officer, “that any permit should have been granted to carry out the work on these lines.” As the inspector truly remarks, it is not possible for such stables to be anything else but a nuisance. lam of opinion that your Council should pass a by-law compelling owners to put in proper inpervious floors and drainage. The floor of. a stable should be either of good cement concrete 5 inches in depth, or of tarred totara blocks, set on a bed of concrete 4 inches in thickness and grouted in tar and sand, or of hard clinker brick, set on edge on a foundation of concrete 4 inches in thickness; the floor to bo graded to a concrete channel, which in its turn shall discharge into a gully-trap connected with the drainage system and situated outside the building. There should also be provided a. manure receptacle, built either of good cement concrete or of brickrlined with cement plaster, and having a concrete floor placed above the ground level, graded to a channel discharging into a proper gullytrap connected with the sewerage system. 1 make this recommendation under section 61 (2) of the Public Health Act.

The Mayor stated that as the section was a Government one the matter should have been reported to the Government.

Cr. Dingle said that he was through the stables that evening, and ho must say they were a credit to the town, being clean and well-kept. A councillor interjected that he did not care who the writer of the letter was; the gentleman did not know what he was talking about. The question of the jurisdiction of the Council over a Government section was discussed, and it was stated

that while the Council had not power to deal with nuisances that might occur in connection With a Government section they could deal with nuisances that already existed. The letter was received. THE PASSING SHOW.

As a result of the theatrical companies “passing by” Stratford, tin local bill-poster linds it practically impossible to carry out his contract witj the Council with regard to the prict for hoardings. In conveying tins information to the Council, Mr Wick ham proffered, as an explanation oi the companies ‘'missing” us that tin picture shows had killed the smaller companies, but attempted no explana tion of the larger-companies not show ing at Stratford. ■

Cr. King moved that the rent o! the three .hoardings be reduced i> price from £2 each bo -£;1 10s each per annum, and in doing so remark ed that they knew things had not improved since Mr Wickham took over the hoardings. The speaker agreec that the picture shows were wiping* out the smaller companies, and tin men who rented hoardings must suffer accordingly.

Cr. R. McK. Morison opposed tin reduction, on the grounds that i< would he better business to call for tenders, if the present man was dissatisfied.

It was explained that the present contract expired on March Ist.

Cr. King withdrew his motion, and it was decided to call for tenders at a later date.

WATERWORKS COMMITTEE.

The Waterworks Committee repon that in company with the overseer, they had visited the headworks or the water supply.' After making i thorough inspection, the Committer begged to make the following recommendations with the view of securing better pressure than' is the cast at present: (1) Lay 12-inch pipe fron intake to town. (2) Cut off extraordin ary supplies. (3) Inforce by-laws concerning leaky taps, and “stand” gar den hoses.

The report continued that the in take was quite satisfactory, am there was sufficient water to fill an other pipe 6-inch in diameter. A 1 though the present pipe was a nineinch one, the bore of the pipe was no’ more than seven inches on accoum of corrosion; this being so, and wit! the extra mains put in during the last four years (about eight miles o J mains) together with the extraordin ary supply used for power and othe: purposes, the present main was not large enough to convey the watei required. In recommending the laying of another line of pipes, the committee recognised the. cost would be considerable and the putting off of extraordinary supplies would mean a loss of revenue to the Council, bul they were* of the opinion that the recommendations made were the only practical solutions of providing bettei pressure.

As no estimates were given,, the Council was not prepared to deal' with the matter, which will come up at a future, meeting. ,r GENERAL. Cr. Healy’ was ‘appointed to the Lighting Committee in place of Cr. Ward, resigned.

During the month of February, the inspector pounded 14 head of cattle, and secured convictions against three persons for riding bicycles on the footpaths, and one motor car driver for driving without lights. For the same period, 28 street lamps were repaired. The clerk stated that the breakages had been light of late, 28 being the largest number for some months.

A complaint was lodged by a neighbour of one of the Council’s leaseholders of the Municipal premises in Broadway, and it was resolved to se cure a report from the Works Committee for next meeting. The Overseer submitted his estimate of the cost of forming Juliet Street South as follows Formation of roadway 16ft. wide, £lB 10s; gravelling 10ft. wide, 9in. deep, £3B ss; total £SO 15s.

The statement of receipts and expenditure for the month were: —Receipts £361 8s 3d; expenditure, £893 8s 4d.